The heavy cost of holding a grudge

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Hello friend,

I want you to imagine a gardener who wants to grow a prize-winning pumpkin. He buys the best seeds, the finest fertilizer, and installs a high-tech irrigation system. But he also decides, for sentimental reasons, to let a massive patch of kudzu and poison ivy grow right on top of his pumpkin patch.

He waters the pumpkin, but he also waters the weeds. Then he wonders why his pumpkin is the size of a golf ball and the weeds are eating his house.

Resentment is the kudzu of the soul.

We often think forgiveness is something we do for other people. We think, "I can't forgive him; he doesn't deserve it." But that is missing the point entirely. Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person. It is an act of extreme, glorious selfishness.

Holding onto resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It does not hurt them; they are likely out playing golf or eating a sandwich, totally oblivious to your stewing. Meanwhile, you are corroding your own machinery.

Resentment takes up space. It consumes energy. Every ounce of mental energy you spend replaying an old argument or nursing a grudge is energy that is not building your dream. You cannot build a skyscraper on a foundation of toxic waste.

To manifest freedom, you must practice the art of release. You must look at the people and situations that have hurt you and decide that your freedom is more important than your anger. You are not saying what they did was right; you are saying you are too valuable to be a storage unit for their baggage.

This is the elementary spiritual practice that liberates us from the constriction of experience. It clears the soil. It lets the sun reach the seeds of your potential.

I know this is not always easy. But the more you read my emails, the more success you will have in letting go of these heavy weights. You will feel lighter. And when you feel that lightness, you will be grateful for having clicked the links in my email that brought this reminder to your inbox.

Now that the weeds are gone, we have one more thing to address. There is a guy named "Harry" standing in your doorway, and he is wearing a shirt that says "I'm Not Good Enough."

He has been crashing your party for years. It is time to kick him out.

I will tell you who Harry is and how to get rid of him tomorrow.

Who is one person you need to forgive, not for their sake, but to reclaim your own energy?

Best,

Bradley Woods

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